


Ghost Stories

by Chibi_Pix



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bonding, Ghosts, Scary Stories, blade of marmora, characters telling stories, mentioned female/female relationship, story telling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23044150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_Pix/pseuds/Chibi_Pix
Summary: Kolivan didn't quite know what he was signing himself up for when he found Team Voltron working on setting the room up for the telling of scary stories. What he did know, though, was that you shouldn't underestimate or trust Pidge when she was scheming something.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	Ghost Stories

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally on my Tumblr, but I decided to go through it again, add a small bit more, and upload it here.  
> Stories come from researching legends, using my own creativity to fabricate stories, and even experience.  
> While not scary to me, some who scare more easily may find these little stories unnerving.

Kolivan walked into the common room, watching the paladins, one blade, and a rebel set up cushions and what looked like a technological imitation of a campfire. Hunk had gathered snacks while Keith and Matt assisted Lance in setting up what looked like a mock-shelter over the sunken pit, the couches retracted to give more room to sit on the cushions around the mock-fire. Shiro was setting up the cushions, making the floor comfortable. Pidge was working with the mock-fire, getting it to properly flicker with life-like flames of oranges, yellows, and reds. He was curious as to what the others were up to.

Then Hunk spoke up.

“I mean, do we really need to tell ghost stories?” Hunk inquired, finishing up with the snacks and helping Shiro with the cushions.

“Oh, good heavens, no.” Pidge assured. “Any scary story will do.”

“That doesn’t help, Pidge!” Hunk whined.

“Well, you don’t have to tell any; if you’d like, you can even opt out of listening.” Matt reminded.

“Well… we’re trying to gather everyone around...” Hunk mumbled.

“Maybe have Hunk be our scare-detector?” Keith suggested.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Lance questioned.

“Well, Hunk’s the most afraid, that’s no question.” Keith stated. “And that’s not a bad thing, Hunk, don’t pout.” Hunk nodded. “With that being said, if you do decide to listen in, you can help us gauge who has the scariest story.”

“Yeah, because like hell Pidge could tell anyone how scary their story is.” Matt snickered, Pidge getting that cheeky gremlin grin, the expression Kolivan knew never to trust. Hell, he was always on guard around her, she was too sneaky and calculating

“You’re telling ghost tales?” Kolivan asked. Most of the others were startled, having not noticed the blade leader. Most of the group jumped, Hunk squealed, and Pidge? Well, she simply grinned.

“Hey, Kolivan!” Pidge greeted. “Yeah! We’re getting things set up. We should be ready in about thirty doboshes or less. You and the blades gonna join? The invite is extended to you.”

“Are we permitted to tell tales as well?” Kolivan inquired.

“Hell yeah!” Pidge cheered. “I bet you guys have some good ones!”

“Aw man...” Hunk whined, Shiro chuckling a bit as he sympathetically patted his fellow paladin’s shoulder.

Pidge snickered, definitely not as sympathetic as the black paladin. “I think hearing what you guys can tell is good. It’d be...” The light dimmed in the room, her mock-fire flickering to life. “Culturally enriching.”

“Um… guys...” Hunk scooted away from Pidge.

“Holy crow… that’s...” Lance was on edge. He let out an audible sound of relief when the lights returned to normal.

**“Sorry about that, guys.”** came Coran’s voice over the comm system. **“I was trying to get the lighting settings changed for the common for Pidge’s spook party, didn’t mean to turn off the lights.”**

“It’s fine, Coran, just… unnerving timing.” Shiro called back. He looked to Pidge. “That was just… timing, right? Not you… doing something?”

“Me? Do something?” Pidge asked, looking almost appalled. The way she played it, though, no one knew what to think of her except for Kolivan. Never. Trust. The. Gremlin. She then perked up when another blade, this one being a tailed male named Regris, entered the common. “Hey, Regris!” she greeted happily. Since they met, the two hit it off well, working on tech and decoding intel together. Another thing Kolivan knew, always be on guard if they were left alone for too long and things were too quiet.

“Wow, it’s coming along well.” Regris complimented. “I finished the projector like you requested. But… why you specified certain star charts...”

“They’re to look like constellations seen from parts of our planet.” Pidge explained, smiling happily. She left her completed mock-campfire and went to help Regris set up the projector.

“Ah, Kolivan, are you planning on joining the telling of stories?” Regris inquired, finally paying attention to his leader and commander.

“I plan on it.” Kolivan nodded. “Do the others know?”

“I believe the princess is seeing to it.” Regris nodded.

“Man, this is going to be so fun.” Matt chuckled.

“Heh, not like you can come up with a good story.” Shiro teased. “I’ve listened to your stories in those months it took us to get to Kerberos...”

“Hey, I never said I was going to tell a story.” Matt smirked. “But I know a certain Holt who’s got some tales to tell.”

“Including _that one_?” Pidge asked.

“Pull out all the stops, Pidge.” Matt grinned.

“They’re bluffing, right?” Keith asked.

“Siblings being suspicious?” Lance pondered. “Totally bluffing.”

“No offense, but I don’t think tech lover tales are going to scare any of us.” Shiro declared, rather certain that the siblings were bluffing.

While the others doubted Pidge and Matt with a story, Kolivan knew better. He knew he should never trust the gremlin.

-+-+-+-

“Ladies, gentlemen, and those in between.” Pidge greeted those sitting around her mock fire. It was quite a setting and the green paladin was looking forward to listening to the various stories others had to tell. Even better, Allura was excited to sit through and listen to the story, a few of the blades themselves were even eager to listen. “I welcome you to the telling of stories. Ghosts. Monsters. Superstitions. Urban legends. Personal… experiences.” The way the smallest paladin said that was eerie. “All alike, we have stories to tell. Here and now is where we tell them. While this is no true competition, but, if Hunk would listen and determine the fright level?”

“I can try.” Hunk nodded.

“Grazie.” Pidge nodded. “Now, be patient, we have… all night.” The lights dimmed as she spoke it, a remote in her hand to let her do that this time. When the lights dimmed, her artificial stars showed up on the covering Keith, Lance, and Matt put up and her fire flickered to life. “So we have time for every person who wishes to tell a story to regale their tale.” She offered a grin, one no one should or could ever trust. “So, who of our lovely guests shall tell the first story?”

“If possible, I’d like to be the one.” Coran spoke up. Pidge nodded and sat down, going to sit between Regris’ legs as he put his tail around her. “It’s quite a true tale, in fact. One in my younger days… when the Castle of Lions had just been finished being built by my grandfather.”

> _Coran was but a youth, perhaps no older than Keith was. He had walked around the castle, checking out his grandfather’s work. Pop-Pop Wimbleton was truly a master of the craft, able to build such a beauty. And Coran loved walking around the many halls, marveling at the genius’ work. As he walked, though, he felt a chill down his spine. He felt like he was being watched._
> 
> _Every time Coran turned around, no one was there. Every time he looked around a corner, thinking someone was there, no one was. This kept up for many vargas and worried the young man. Then eventually he turned around, catching an apparition just before it disappeared._

“Turned out, though, it was just the holographic projectors malfunctioning. Well, the castle was still in it’s infancy and Pop-Pop Wimbleton had been working out the kinks.” Coran mused, messing with his mustache.

“Coran… that was an eerie story and all, I’d have been terrified had I been you, but I think you miss the purpose of a scary story.” Hunk admitted.

“Part of a scary story is to not rationalize what happened, leave the mystery and suspense to unnerve your audience.” Pidge sighed. “But good try.”

“Oh, really? Well, perhaps next time we do this I can do better.” Coran stated with a nod.

“If you have a different story to tell next time, sure thing!” Pidge nodded, knowing that the same story twice did not always hold the same light. “Okay, who would be next? Who thinks they can give us a few scares?”

“Perhaps, if no one minds, I can tell a story.” Kolivan poke up. He dared to smirk a bit when some of his blades mumbled, the group sure that he would definitely get the others scared. “I’ve seen many planets… many battlefields in my time.” Kolivan admitted. “But one in particular...”

> _A Galran soldier wandering the dead lands of an abandoned planetoid. Long ago, after Zarkon’s beginning efforts of his tyranny, many planets had been attacked. Many species across the galaxies had been enslaved… or eradicated. In the loss of lives of those species, the Galra had lost their own as well._
> 
> _The soldier in question was looking over an old battlefield, remembering the grief felt once before. Families torn apart. Land blown apart. And the fall of a grand general, one of the finest. The nameless warrior. No one anymore who they fought for. For Zarkon? For freedom? Only that they had fought many battles before their time came to an end, ended by their own kind. Friendly fire? Someone attacking a traitor? A traitor attacking town own? The tales had no more answers to that._
> 
> _The soldier stood in the emptiness of the old battlefield. He looked out across the vastness of the land. His focus changed and he found himself staring into a set of eyes._ _He staggered back for he knew those eyes had not been there before. Weathered from war. Weathered from violence. Weathered from the years._
> 
> _The fallen general had died long before, but their eyes were always remembered. Their eyes were seen on many battlefields. And the soldier knew those eyes meant impending doom. The soldier knew to never confront those eyes. It was always best to turn round and leave._

“But what that soldier did not know was that day was different. Those eyes followed him through to his next battle. Then, during a battle, he saw those eyes again. They were the last thing he had seen.” Kolivan said, ending his tale.

Hunk was unnerved and hiding behind Shiro. Unsurprisingly, Kolivan’s story spooked him. Even Lance was on edge. “Dude, that’s like… old European spooks.” Lance stated, holding onto Keith’s arm, the former paladin unaffected.

“Ooh, classic cursed spirit tale, love it!” Pidge cooed, looking eager.

“You would.” Matt chuckled.

“That didn’t bother you?” Regris inquired.

“Are you kidding? Not at all!” Pidge looked happy before grabbing one of the snacks brought in. “Okay, who’s next?”

“Perhaps I could go next.” Shiro commented.

“Oh, this is gonna be good.” Keith declared, sounding hopeful.

Shiro smiled as he looked to Pidge. The gremlin nodded and her mock-fire dimmed more and Shiro’s arm gave an ominous purple glow, even more eerie compared to that of the usual purple glow in the Galran ships and bases. “Am I beautiful?” he asked, in an eerie tone. “A line spoken to many… and sometimes the last.”

> _Many people had walked through the streets of many cities in Shiro’s home country of Japan. As they would, some would see this woman walking around, average at first glance. Her hair down, a surgical mask over her mouth; she seemed to protect others from a cold she may have had… or she was wary of catching a cold from another._
> 
> _People would see her and she would approach them. “Am I beautiful?” she would ask. Innocent. Sweet. A sign of insecurity. Perhaps an old lover telling her that she was not._
> 
> _“Of course you are.” many would respond. “You’ve very beautiful.”_
> 
> _A smile behind her mask, her eyes lit up. Her dark eyes aglow. Then the mask would be removed. An ugly, jagged line from ear to ear. Her mouth wide, gaping. Too much smile for too little of a face. “Am I still beautiful?”_
> 
> _A scream. A call of distress. It is the last strangers hear before they investigate, finding the fallen victims in the alleys they ventured into… their mouths slit open._

“Never scream when you face Kuchisake-onna.” Shiro ended the tale, his arm dimming and Pidge’s mock-fire coming back to life. “To survive, do not scream, but tell her she is still beautiful. That will please or confuse her, giving you time to escape.”

“Dude!” Hunk whined, now hiding behind Kolivan. “That’s just… dude!”

“Whoa! Is that… a real story?” Keith asked, looking a little startled, but not as scared as Hunk or Lance.

“It would account for mysterious deaths.” Pidge snickered.

“Someone find duct tape or something… Pidge liking these stories is scary...” Lance mumbled.

“Well done, Shiro, I’d say yours had surpassed Kolivan’s tale.” Pidge applauded. “Now then, who else has a tale to tell?”

“Okay, you know what, I should just tell my story before I get too… wound up to tell it later.” Lance responded, refusing to admit he was afraid. “It was a story told by my mom. La dama de blanco.”

> _La dama de blanco was supposed to get married. She was excited when the met the man of her dreams. He was everything she wanted. Smart. Funny. Charming. Hard working. And, as a bonus, he was very handsome. El apuesto extanjero. He came from afar, a fine family and he had fallen in love in the land of beauty and sun. The family of the bride-to-be adored him and felt he was perfect for her. She would get ahead in life with their marriage._
> 
> _Before they wed, the foreigner went up to the waterfalls with his bride-to-be. It was where they first met, where he first laid eyes upon her._ _He went up to shout his love for her to the world. He wanted to sing out her name with her on the top of those waterfalls before the wedding._
> 
> _The bride-to-be loved this. She smiled and hummed to her lover’s voice. But then there was a gust of wind and her veil blew off. Panicked, she reached for it. And slipped._

“As la dama de blanco fell, she saw her lover reaching for her… and behind him another woman in white, the sky visible behind her sheer figure.” Lance told his tale.

“Wait… was it the figure she saw who pushed her? Or the lover?” Hunk asked, looking terrified.

“No one knows. The stories only tell of how her lover reported that she slipped when she reached for her veil.” Lance said. “So, how was that, Pidge?”

Pidge yawned. “Classic, nice, but not scary.” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“She doesn’t budge, does she?” Ulaz asked.

“Maybe it is time for your story?” Thace inquired.

“Oh, Ulaz has one?” Pidge perked up, like the eager gremlin she was.

“You know what, fine, let’s get this story started.” Hunk said.

“You’re not afraid anymore?” Allura inquired, looking like she was enjoying the sensation of being frightened.

“I’m so terrified right now, I don’t know how to be scared anymore.” Hunk admitted. He then felt Antok sit down behind him, pulling him over a bit.

“They’re just stories, they won’t get you.” Antok assured gently, running his fingers through Hunk’s hair in a reassuring way.

“Yeah… unless Pidge decides to pull out all the stops for the ultimate scare like she did for Halloween at the Garrison with Risavi’s help.” Hunk whined.

“Oh man, I remember that.” Lance said. “Scared even Iverson!”

Pidge cackled and waved it off. “Anyway, Ulaz, let’s see what you’ve got.”

“I had been a medical officer for many deca-phoebs, working for the Blade of Marmora a long time… and blending in to keep my eye on the empire.” Ulaz started to say.

> _Ulaz was hard at work, tending to patients. It was grueling work at times and not exactly rewarding. He had been_ _undercover for a fair amount of deca-phoebs, no one none the wiser as to who he was. With his position, he had to treat the empire’s soldiers, this helped in keeping people ignorant of who he truly was. What his cause was._
> 
> _He was working with one patient in particular, a soldier who had been badly injured in a fight with rebels. They got the best of her, but she never pulled back. Victory. Or death._ _And to honour her strength and bravery, Zarkon had promoted her to commander. If she died from her wounds, she would die with great honour. If she survived, she would be given command of her own fleet._
> 
> _Ulaz worked to try to stabilize his patient. She would need prosthetic limbs if she survived. If._
> 
> _As he worked, a shadow was caught in his peripheral vision. A druid. It had to be._
> 
> _“I’m busy with my work.” Ulaz grumbled. He had worked too many quintants without proper rest to want to deal with the cloaked bastards. “Unless you’re here to help my patient survive, get your ass out of my...” He turned. No one. He looked around. No one. “Infirmary?” He scowled and stepped outside the room, knowing his patient would be fine without him for a few doboshes; all he really had to do was keep an eye on the monitors alerting him to her health._
> 
> _“You there,” Ulaz snapped at a guard who stood outside the room, “has anyone entered this room?”_
> 
> _“Um, sir?” the soldier, young and hopeful for his future on Zarkon’s ship, questioned, confusion crossing the lower half of his face, the upper covered by his helmet._
> 
> _“Are you deaf?” Ulaz nearly hissed, a scowl evident on his face. “Has anyone aside from me and my patient entered this room?”_
> 
> _“No sir, you’re the only one.”_
> 
> _“Not even a druid?”_
> 
> _“The druids are busy, sir; they have not been in this wing since_ _Commander Lerzi was brought in.” the soldier reported, trying not to stutter. “Is something… the matter?”_
> 
> _“I thought someone was in the room…” Ulaz sighed and rubbed his eyes._
> 
> _“Shall I call for someone to take your shift?”_
> 
> _“No. Just… be diligent.” Ulaz waved the situation off and returned to his work. He went back to monitoring his patient, a sigh leaving his lips. He didn’t think she would survive, even with the help of High Priestess Hagar. As he stood watch, he detected movement again. “I’ve had enough of thi-” He turned. He stared into the face of a lieutenant. A lieutenant who had been part of the same fleet that Lerzi served in. He knew the face of the lieutenant well; she had come in with severe injuries and died after being brought back to the main fleet._
> 
> _“Lieutenant Ryl...” Ulaz gasped out. He stepped to the side as the lieutenant walked over to Lerzi, reaching and gently touching her face._
> 
> _“I will see you soon.” Ryl whispered softly, leaning over and gently kissing Lerzi._

“It took me several doboshes to come out of my stupor, I hadn’t even realized the monitor had been telling me that Lerzi passed on.” Ulaz said. “It wasn’t until that soldier standing guard heard it and entered the room.”

The others were on edge or terrified. A close encounter told in a calm voice. The only one unbothered by it was unsurprisingly Pidge. She didn’t cackle this time, instead she was patting Regris’ tail in a comforting way as he hugged her like a child hugging their plush toy. While Kolivan wasn’t exactly terrified, he certainly was a little unnerved.

“My, that was quite the experience.” Coran said, huddling on one side of Shiro while Allura was on the other.

“Dude, I’d have screamed had that been me!” Hunk whined, glad that Antok was holding onto him closely, though part of that was for the larger Galra’s own peace of mind.

“Holy crow...” Lance whimpered.

“Be brave, Lance, he was probably just exhausted.” Keith tried to rationalize, but even he couldn’t keep the seeping fear back.

“Did… did you ever see her again?” Allura questioned, her voice wavering.

“No, after Lerzi passed on, I never saw Ryl again.” Ulaz admitted. “There had been other cases of shadows on the edge of my vision, but never as full on as Ryl had been.”

“Ah, the story of two lovers, one passed on and knowing the other would soon follow, waiting for her so they could go on together.” Pidge spoke up in a mellow and even endearing voice.

“Are there… other stories to tell?” Shiro questioned, holding onto one of the cushions around him.

“I don’t think I can take much more...” Hunk whimpered.

Pidge looked around. No volunteers. She eyed Matt who nodded.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and those in between, we bring to you the final tale of this evening.” Matt declared, standing up. “Our final tale is by none other than by Katie _Pidge_ Holt. A tale of being lost, being alone… and being afraid.” That last word was said with an ominous tone as the fake stars disappeared and the mock-fire turned green. Several of the others, mainly the humans and Alteans, jumped at the sudden change, though Thace, Antok, and Regris were startled as well.

Pidge was silent, her head down. Then in the most eerie, child-like voice, she spoke. “Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?”

> _“_ _Why do I have to attend? It’s just a bunch of adults talking about space travel and their kids make fun of me.” Pidge sighed, sitting in her mother’s lap as Colleen had pulled her hair up in the cutest pigtails tied off with green ribbons._
> 
> _“You can always talk about space travel with them.” Colleen assured._
> 
> _“Um, hello? Their kids make fun of me and since when did grown ups listen to a seven-year-old kid with the intellect of a sixteen-year-old? They just look at me and tell me that I’ll learn this stuff when I’m older.” Pidge reminded. “I’d much rather just sit in my room and read those flight manuals Dad brought home to study.”_
> 
> _“Now now, sweetie,” Colleen chuckled, “try to grin and bear it. Think of it as… training.”_
> 
> _“Training?” Pidge looked confused._
> 
> _“One day you’ll go to space… and you may need to put up with a crew who isn’t used to someone so young being so much smarter than them.” Colleen smiled and kissed her daughter’s cheek. “_ _Now then, your hair is fixed up, you’re wearing the dress Daddy picked out for you, are you ready to come out? I need to go out and get to grilling.”_
> 
> _Pidge sighed. “I guess...”_
> 
> _“Then up. Up. Up. Up.” Colleen got her daughter up and took her hand. “If after an hour and you’re not happy, you can come back inside and study.” She smirked. “Or, if you can bear the rest of the evening until bed time, I’ll get you that video game you wanted.”_
> 
> _“Oh, now you’re talking my language, Mommy!” Pidge grinned brightly, making Colleen laugh._
> 
> _And so Pidge did her best, sitting through everything. She sat around the adults more, listening to her father talk with other scientists and pilots. She occasionally asked questions, but they either dismissed her or tried to give her too-simple-to-really-work responses. She sighed after a few hours and got up._
> 
> _“Honey? Giving up already?” Colleen asked._
> 
> _“Going to the bathroom, then getting enough peanut butter cookies to put me in a sugar coma tonight.” Pidge responded._
> 
> _“Get some fruit or vegetable, too. Apples or celery go well with peanut butter.” Colleen reminded._
> 
> _“That sounds good.” Pidge nodded and went inside. She didn’t notice anything until after she finished washing her hands and went to get her choice of food. By then, though, she realized just how quiet things had gotten._
> 
> _Pidge didn’t think that was normal. When she had been outside, there was plenty of talking going on, jovial sounds as people talked about space exploration. She stepped outside and blinked. Nothing. No one was there and it was as quiet as could be. “Mommy? Daddy?” Pidge called. “Matt? Where are you?”_
> 
> _Pidge walked out into the yard and looked around. No one. No family. No guests. No one. She couldn’t even smell the scents that were previously there. She went over and neared the grill. Even a couple feet away, she knew she should have smelled the food cooking; she should have been able to feel the heat, even if it turned off in the few short minutes she was inside. She dared to touch the grill, cautious at first, but then her hand flat against it. Cold to the touch._
> 
> _“Mommy? Daddy! Where are you guys?” Pidge called. She went back inside to check around. Upstairs. Downstairs. The basement. She checked everywhere, but there was no sign of anyone being there. “This isn’t funny! Where are you? Matt, if this is your idea of a joke,_ _I don’t like it!”_
> 
> _She kept looking, but no one was there. No one was talking or calling out for her. She was getting to be afraid. “Where… where are you guys… where...” She started crying. Seven years old, sometimes too smart for her age, but she most certainly was not ready for a situation like this._
> 
> _“Shush now, don’t cry.” came a gentle and unfamiliar voice. “You’ll be fine, you’re not alone.”_
> 
> _“I want my mommy and daddy!” Pidge whined. “I want Matt! I can’t find them!”_
> 
> _“It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay. You’re not hurt, and we’ll find them.” Pidge felt a careful touch on her back, a hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. It felt… relaxing. Then that hand moved and took her own, careful fingers lacing around her little fingers. She looked up, shock filling her at first as she just saw a shadow, no distinguishable features to be found. “Let’s get you back home, okay?” the shadow assured, the voice still sweet and sincere._
> 
> _Pidge found herself relaxing. She didn’t know who she was, only that she was nice and helpful. She walked through the house again, heading for the back door and holding onto her new friend’s hand. “I already checked out back.” Pidge said._
> 
> _“Check again. They’re there.” the shadow said. It, she Pidge assumed, knelt down beside the girl, gently running those slender fingers through her pigtails before moving to fix the ribbons. “Now,_ _Pidge_ _, wipe your face, you’re not hurt.” Pidge nodded and did so. “And go to them before they wonder where you are.”_
> 
> _“Okay.” Pidge nodded. “Thank you.” She then went out the door, stepping back out on the back porch, the sounds, sights, and s_ _c_ _ents right back_ _where they belonged._
> 
> _“Huh? Oh, Katie, what took you so long?” Colleen asked. “Did you get what you wanted?”_
> 
> _“Mommy...”_
> 
> _“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Colleen was surprised when Pidge suddenly hugged her. “What’s the matter, sweetie? Hmm?” She hugged her daughter in return, confused but still wanting to comfort her._
> 
> _“Mom? What’s wrong with Pidge?” Matt asked. “Is she okay?”_
> 
> _“Well, she seems fine.” Colleen assured. “Right?”_
> 
> _“Yeah, now that I found you guys.” Pidge hummed._
> 
> _“Found us?” Colleen asked. But Pidge didn’t answer and just went to sit down on the bench she had been sitting on earlier, humming to herself. “I wonder what that’s about...”_
> 
> _“Knowing Pidge? Probably something important.” Matt chuckled._

Pidge got the lights all back on. She looked around to see the others startled and staring at her. Ulaz’s close encounter? Startling. Pidge’s? What. The. Quiznak? Even though Matt knew the story, Pidge telling him that incident when she was thirteen, he was spooked by how Pidge told the tale, huddled in close to Regris who had backed off from the gremlin.

“Part of a good telling of tales is the environment and tone.” Pidge stated.

“So… it was made up, right? Or a legend?” Keith asked.

Pidge shook her head. “No, even now, I don’t know how to explain what happened.” she admitted. “Science has failed me in terms of rational reasoning.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well. I got back safely in the end.”

“Can… can we all just agree that… Pidge’s story is quiznaking terrifying?” Allura asked, huddling even closer to Shiro. “Just… what the quiznak? How did you manage the situation?”

“Well, I had been terrified at the time.” Pidge brushed it off. She then looked around to the others. Hah! She even managed to scare Kolivan more as his fur was more bristled than usual and his eyes wide.

“Pidge,” Shiro spoke up, his voice soft until he cleared his throat to correct it, “never tell that story again. Hell, never tell any scary story.”

“At least until the next scary story night.” Pidge cackled.

“Nope. Not happening again.” Thace whined, snuggling in against Ulaz. “If you’re going to tell a story, I’m not going through another horror story night...”

“I agree.” Lance nodded.

“Save those for if someone is foolish enough to capture you and hold you prisoner.” Kolivan suggested. “Just you. None of us.”

Pidge let out a hysterical laugh. “Man, I love telling stories with others.” she declared. She then got up and stretched. “Well! I dunno about you guys, but I’m exhausted! I’m gonna hit the hay. Ciao!” She walked off, leaving the others to just sit there.

“Yeah… I don’t think I can sleep tonight...” Hunk admitted.

“Um… stay up later telling happy stories?” Lance suggested. The others put their hands up, voting positive on that idea. Lance looked around, counting the raised hands. “Huh? Wait… Pidge already left… and... we have an extra Galra?” He looked to Regris’ side, seeing an extra person no one expected.

Worse yet, only Shiro had been the one to have actually seen him and he certainly hadn’t seen or heard anything of him since Sendak nearly won and took the lions and the castle back when they were still on Arus.

-+-+-+-

Pidge was walking down the hall, heading for her room. She only stopped to jump in surprise at panicked shouting and swear words in different languages, Earthling and alien alike. “What the quiznak?” she asked, looking back. “My story wasn’t that bad, was it? Or did one of my programs malfunction?” She shrugged. Oh well. “I’ll fix that later if that’s the case.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love me some scary stories. I was raised on scary stories and it was one of the ways my siblings and I would bond. So I hope you guys enjoyed this.


End file.
